Aquaculture

Angling Lakes

Peace of Mind

1 May 2019

Those of us old enough to experience the summer of 1976 (my parents have told me all about it), assumed it would be a one-off. However, it appears that long hot summers may now occur more frequently. Predictions from the 1990s showed that there was only a 5% probability of these temperatures occurring in the future, so have we all set up our mitigation and emergency systems with this probability in mind? For 2019 it has been predicted that there is a 15%-20% chance that we will have a repeat of the temperatures seen in 2018. By 2050, scorching summers will be the norm, according to the Met Office Chief Scientist Dr Stephen Belcher. This may be good news for the UK’s ice cream sellers, but it may cause a few sleepless nights for fishery owners and managers.

Feedback from Sunderland Marine’s risk managers after a busy summer 2018 visiting fisheries and fish farms has indicated that, not surprisingly, the temperatures caused numerous direct environmental problems for stock such as low oxygen levels and an increase in the number and intensity of algal blooms. Fishery managers are well used to deploying aeration, pumps and even using secondary water supplies such as boreholes, but if these types of conditions become more common and potentially more extreme, it may be that even with the best monitoring and mitigation strategies, it will not be enough to prevent significant stock losses. Therefore fishery owners and managers may want to consider stock insurance as another level of defence, so that if the worst happens, businesses can get back up and running as soon as possible.

Source: Fish Health Inspectorate

The number of fisheries with notifiable disease outbreaks has increased steadily over the past 9 years. Does this data show that disease outbreaks in general are becoming more prevalent and is this as a result of an increase in temperature?

Should the worst happen and an owner suffers a major loss, could a fishery survive? To help protect owners from the effects of these types of events, Sunderland Marine offers a clear and transparent all-risks policy which can be provided to suit the budget of the fishery owner, ensuring that the path back to business as usual following a fish kill is as smooth as possible.

The policy also comes with a complimentary risk management service, providing bespoke practical advice to each fishery that purchases a policy. Sunderland Marine’s risk managers have built up a wealth of knowledge, having underwritten their first fishery policy in 1986.

Whilst England’s sporting teams may have caused a few anxious moments over the summer of 2018, and will probably continue to do so in the future, we hope Sunderland Marine can help protect fisheries and businesses allowing the owners and managers to be confident about the future.

James SimisonRisk Management Surveyor and Coordinator (SMI)

ENDS

For further information contact: Katherine Clifford +44 191 232 5221

Note to editorsSunderland Marine is the leading international insurer of fishing vessels, aquaculture and angling lakes risks with over 8,000 policyholders worldwide. Established in 1882, the Standard and Poor’s A-rated company is based in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK with regional offices in Australia and New Zealand and, trading as Harlock Murray Underwriting, in Canada. The company became part of North Group in 2014 following a merger with global marine mutual North P&I Club, which also has offices and subsidiaries in China (Hong Kong and Shanghai), Greece, Japan, Singapore and USA. Sunderland Marine’s qualified and knowledgeable teams of underwriters, surveyors and claims staff ensure clients are provided with high levels of service and comprehensive insurance policies. The company is also at the forefront of promoting safety at sea and regularly contributes to and sponsors training programmes in the UK and overseas. For more information, please visit Sunderland Marine’s website at www.sunderlandmarine.com.